black-market

1 of 2

verb

black-mar·​ket ˈblak-ˈmär-kət How to pronounce black-market (audio)
black-marketed; black-marketing; black-markets

intransitive verb

: to buy or sell goods in the black market

transitive verb

: to sell in the black market
black marketer noun
or black marketeer
black marketeering noun

black market

2 of 2

noun

: illicit trade in goods or commodities in violation of official regulations
also : a place where such trade is carried on

Examples of black-market in a Sentence

Noun The black market in prescription drugs is thriving. They unloaded the stolen goods on the black market.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
And still others operate in a gray area created by the national trend toward decriminalization, which has reduced risks and increased rewards associated with black-market marijuana. Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 22 Mar. 2024 Some metals found in catalytic converters are more valuable than gold and the black-market price can be more than $1,000 each, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024 Jackie is training for a competition in Las Vegas, and Lou, who has a nice little black-market steroid business running through the gym, helps her juice. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024 And the year prior, authorities busted a black-market caviar ring in California. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2024 The price of many goods is now set by the black-market value of the dollar, which rose to around 70 pounds to the dollar last month, compared with about 16 before the crisis. Nada Rashwan, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 But the legislation, designed to track marijuana transactions and diminish black-market sales, largely failed to factor in mobile-pot businesses. Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 The core of Milam’s appeal is the charismatic narrative of his rise from black-market hustler to mogul. Ezra Marcus, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2024 The peso’s unofficial, black-market rate is currently trading around 1,070 per dollar. Ryan Dubé, WSJ, 12 Dec. 2023
Noun
This image provided by the US Attorney for the District of Montana from a court document shows eagle feathers from birds that a Washington state man is accused of shooting to sell their parts on the black market. CBS News, 20 Mar. 2024 Deputies soon became convinced that Chen’s crew, like many others, was trafficking its product on the black market in other states. Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 14 Mar. 2024 While the California medical marijuana economy is valued as high as $2.7 billion by industry research companies, estimates of the out-of-state black market are elusive. Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 Four years later, Bodner believes the black market has only gotten larger in California. Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024 At a street market, a man in a police uniform could be seen exchanging gas with a resident, an apparent sign of an emerging black market for fuel. Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 The lack of supply, high list prices (around $1,000 a month without coverage), and routine lack of insurance coverage of these drugs has also led to the emergence of a gray and black market. Ed Cara / Gizmodo, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 That has made the United States currency both indispensable and scarce, creating a murky black market in which the dollar’s value far outpaces the exchange rate artificially set by the government of about 31 pounds to the dollar. Nada Rashwan, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Licensed retailers across the state have complained about the difficulty of competing against a black market. Brad Branan, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'black-market.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1727, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1931, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of black-market was in 1727

Dictionary Entries Near black-market

black mark

black-market

black market

Cite this Entry

“Black-market.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black-market. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

black market

noun
: trade that is against government controls (as of prices or rationing)
also : the place where such trade is carried on
black marketer
-ˈmär-kət-ər
noun
or black marketeer
-ˌmär-kə-ˈti(ə)r

More from Merriam-Webster on black-market

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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